Press Release - Jim Anderton
20 September 2010
Using wood to help rebuild Christchurch could revitalise a stagnating timber industry, mayoral candidate Jim Anderton says.
It would be "a New Zealand solution" to recovering from the worst natural disaster in Canterbury's history, he said.
"Wood is a material whose time has come in an earthquake-prone country," he said yesterday.
Wood was environmentally friendly, energy efficient and recent New Zealand research showed building with wood could be 8 per cent cheaper than using steel or reinforced concrete, Anderton said.
"Given our very recent experience in Christchurch, appropriately designed wooden buildings built for residential and commercial use can also be more earthquake-proof and fire-resistant," he said.
"If we in Christchurch rediscover the advantages, beauty and flexibility of wood as a building product, our timber industry will develop as a vibrant, commercially sustainable and internationally competitive sector."
Mayor Bob Parker agreed wood was a great material and offered opportunities that would be "in the mix" when rebuilding talks began.